Keukenhof: Adventure on a layover!

This is probably the “most” adventurous thing I have done with a child in tow! Visiting a fun place on a long layover, as a matter of fact, consciously picked a flight to give me the opportunity to have long enough time to cross something off of my “bucket list”. Amsterdam is a great place to visit, no doubt about it, however, it is just not on my list of places where I want to spend days after days admiring the beauty of it. Rather, it’s on my list of places that I can cross it off by spending least amount of time ( just like I did with Brussels before Eliana was born!), and just enough for me. Keukenhof is a place where spending few hours is enough!

Then came the opportunity to fly through Amsterdam without spending the night and then continue on to my final destination.

In case you didn’t know, long lay over and stopovers are great options to see a new place without spending tons. And these stop overs while airlines recently have been advertising a lot, actually has been around for the longest.

So, I bought a ticket from NYC to DUBAI for $683.00 in April. I could have gotten (price checked) a direct flight for the same price on Emirates, but I chose to fly KLM as I wanted to visit Keukenhof! I picked the flights that gave me the longest lay over time in AMS. From NYC to DXB via AMS my lay over was about 7 hours, and on the way back (2 weeks later) was 9 hours ( and I chose to visit Keukenhof on way back to catch the peak bloom time).

Before proceeding to tell the story of Keukenhof, let me tell you briefly about the time spent Amsterdam, city center.

We touched down at 6 a.m. (too early!) and then breezed through immigration (luggage was checked all the way through DXB as it should be), then sat at the diner right around the baggage claim exit area (still inside the airport) and spent about good 2 and half hours there as I ate and Elina slept. It happened to be Elina’s bedtime right at that time! The only downside! After that proceeded to exit, bought train tickets via vending machine and proceeded downstairs to catch the train directly to City. It was quick and easy. At the station, waited at Starbucks for a friend to show up (luckily she brought her kid’s stroller) and then she proceeded to show me around. We walked a lot, then had a really GREAT breakfast and walked some more! She showed me around, explained what is what…then time to be back to the airport. It was really neat! I got to see Anne Frank House (albeit just from outside!) In no time Eliana and I were back at the airport and off to Dubai!

On the way back, plane landed pretty darn early again. Again breezed through the immigration and off to the office which was on the first floor to buy the bus tickets for Keukenhoff. These are special busses that go directly to Keukenhoff. Again, Eliana was severely jet legged and was very sleepy! Poor girl. But mother had to visit Keukenhoff! But she also proved to be her mother’s daughter 😉 Signs were clearly marked for the bus departure point. It was very easy to follow. We did let one bus go since it was packed and I wasn’t going to stand with a child. Next bus came in pretty quick and off we went.

As it was such a SIGHT to see the WINDMILLS! And TULIPS! Oh MY! The scenery couldn’t get any more Dutch! And to compliment the view, weather was just plain GORGEOUS! It was early morning, sun was shining nice and bright, perfect Spring weather. Stars aligned! There are no pictures of that view though as I was too busy to admire the view as the bus was passing by and wasn’t just too interested in taking the pain of getting the camera out of the bag! Live in the moment, anyone?

Timing was perfect as it was early in the day and not crowded, tourists were coming in but wasn’t packed just yet. Proceeded to enter the park, and just these flowers!!! Colors!! Took pictures, took breaks as we walked along cause little adventure girl was bit tired! Then it was time to eat!! Had delicious crepe from this “Cart” inside the park, next to the cafeteria. Then had lunch at the cafeteria. Walked more, admired even more! Oh, by then it was getting full on touristy! Ppl in groups, tours and what not. But we were ahead! As they were entering we were exiting! Thank the Stars!

On the way out dropped by the “gift shop”. Lots of pretty usual stuffs. I collect postcards, so, got few. Busses wait pretty close to the park entrance/exit. And then back to airport to catch return flight back home.

This year, it’s opening on March, 22 till May 13, 2018! If you ever wanted to visit this place, this is your chance till next time! Like cherry blossom, this one also has a peak bloom time, consult the official website to get all the info.

And here are some pictures! Even on a great camera pictures don’t do justice to this place and all these were taken on my then not so well functioning phone, so, there is that!

When she was bit tired and needed to sit down!

And last but not least as Eliana was taking a picture of me, a sweet lady immediately asked her to stand with me and took the phone from her to snap a picture of us together! Forever grateful! It was very kind of her!

Aren’t we a good team?? 😉 All tired, jet legged and still up for an adventure?

Hope you guys can get to visit this AWESOME place!!! I would definitely revisit, on a layover, of course 😉

I think is brilliant that you’re using a layover as a way of experiencing new places. I’ve thought of it a few times, but I’m always go eager to arrive after long flights. Those tulips are simply beautiful and the weather looks perfect for a stroll.

I love using layovers to experience new places! I visited Tokyo on a layover once. It was a whirlwind, but definitely worth it!

I’ve heard great things about Keukenhof, although I’ve never been. Your photos definitely inspired me! I love gardens and this one looks lovely. The photo of you and Eliana is adorable. Glad you two had a great time! 🙂

Wow! All this flowers – it seems you picked just the right time for your layover. Layovers are a great and cheap way to spent time in countries. We just had a full day in Lisbon on our way back to Europe from West Africa and spent it in Sintra.

What a beautiful place to visit. I haven’t got the chance to see this place when we were in Amsterdam. Would love to go back during spring time to see the full bloom. It’s good that you were able to squeeze a tour even if you have a kid in tow.

This looks like an amazing adventure with fantastic views of the flora in Keukenhof! Great way to spend your layover in Amsterdam and your daughter certainly seems like she’s enjoying herself tremendously. I’d love to visit the Netherlands soon to check out the flowers too!

This reminds me of my visit to Keukenhof last year. I’m not a big fan of flowers, but the different kind of flowers and different colors of tulips just leave me breathless. The place was just full of color and happy vibes. 🙂

I had never thought of a layover this way until I read your blog post. My wife and I were talking about Amsterdam the other and we were wondering what to do there. I love how you made the most of your time there! Loved the pictures and your daughter is so cute. It was nice of that woman to take a picture of you two together. Looking forward to reading more of your adventures.

Your visit to Amsterdam was a well-spent layover! Those flowers are just gorgeous (as is your little girl)! I am always so nervous that I will miss the connecting flight if I venture outside the airport, even with a long layover. You have inspired me to consider some bucket-list layovers for an upcoming trip…Make every minute count, right? Thank you!

Firstly, Eliana is so cute, what a gorgeous travel companion you have :)! Oh the blooms at Keukenhoff are super pretty, I missed them on my visit to Holland. Personally I prefer short layover flights, but I can see the appeal of long layovers now. Need to try this on my next travel.

These long layovers are something we are considering more and more these days. It is definitely a great way to see a city quickly. We have been to AMS before and loved it. Unfortunately we haven’t seen the tulip festival yet.

The colorful flowers are beautiful. I’ve been dreaming about traveling to Amsterdam for a long time. After seeing the photos, I think it’s best to go there as soon as possible, while everything is still blooming 🙂